the persnickety shekel...

I have been wanting to cast one of these biblical coins in silver for years and now that I am finally experimenting with casting sand - I have my chance.  Turns out casting a coin is pretty tricky.  Thanks to a couple of YouTube videos, I almost have the technique nailed down.  I have tried 5 times and getting a little closer each time.  I have been casting in petrobond and just bit the bullet and ordered some (more expensive) delft clay which is a much finer casting media.  This was my last test that was tumbled for two hours then "antiqued" with liver of sulfur.   The pewter copy I am using to cast from is on the left.  The reverse (tails side) came out almost perfectly, but the obverse (heads side) didn't quite make it.  89,95,76,0,B

Tyrian shekel...

Matthew 26:14 Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests,  15 And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. 16  And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him.

Shekel of Tyre

It just so happens that the day the producer arrived last week to try to woo me (unsuccessfully) into a reality series, I got an order in the mail.  A couple of weeks ago while searching online for some info about silver, I came across a site that offered inexpensive replica coins. They had a section on coins of the Bible.  http://www.coinsofourpast.com/coinpages/biblepage.html I ordered some coins that I gave to my brothers and sisters at church today.  It just so happened that my testimony and gift fit right in with the sermon.  The Shekel of Tyre is the most likely currency that was paid to Judas when he betrayed Christ.  I thought it was rather fitting that my order arrived when it did.  Every man has his earthly price...but beware of the ultimate price to be paid.

Matthew 27 : 1 When the morning was come , all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death : 2 And when they had bound him, they led him away , and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor. 3 Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned , repented himself , and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4 Saying , I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said , What is that to us? see thou to that. 5 And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed , and went and hanged himself . 6 And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said , It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood. 7 And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in. 8 Wherefore that field was called , The field of blood, unto this day.